HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is a protocol in the World Wide Web (WWW) to communicate between a web browser and a web server. When you want to open a website page, you need to type the URL of the website page in the address bar of the web browser, the web browser sends a request for the website page in the form of a URL to the web server, the web server receives the request, searches for the website page and then returns the search results to the web browser.
One important part of the URL is the HTTP protocol (written in small http). Because HTTP is a standard protocol, it tends not to be included in writing URLs. As laypeople, we only know about the HTTP protocol. Actually, there is hidden technology behind this data communication protocol. HTTP was first used in 1990, when HTTP was still version 0.9 (HTTP/0.9).
The next version of HTTP was HTTP/1.0 which was released in 1996 and HTTP/1.1 which was released in 1999. When you access a website two years ago or earlier, you are actually using http/1.1 technology. All three versions of HTTP are first-generation HTTP which uses port 80. First-generation HTTP is considered old and is no longer used.
In 2015, the next generation of HTTP protocol was developed which is then known as HTTP/2. HTTP/2 which is also known as HTTP version 2 has better features and performance compared to first-generation HTTP. HTTP/2 is the second generation of HTTP which has the advantage of security and speed so that web pages can be loaded more safely, quickly and save bandwidth.
As we know that security, performance and better user experience have become Google's priorities. Google itself states that HTTPS is one of the factors in ranking. That is why you need to know that HTTP/2 cannot be used without HTTPS.
Visiting a website page via port 443 (HTTPS port) will trigger an HTTP/2 connection. Thus, website pages that use HTTPS can be accessed safely and loaded faster. The use of HTTPS not only provides security for the data transferred, but also provides better performance improvements with faster web page loading.
Visitors' perceptions of website security increase. They do not hesitate to enter data on online forms to make transactions. Fast-loading web pages also provide a better user experience. Website visitors do not have to wait long for a web page to be displayed on the device being used.
This actually breaks the myth that has been considered true by some people that the use of HTTPS can reduce the loading speed of website pages. Indeed, when using HTTPS, additional two-way communication is needed between the web browser and the web server regarding the validity of the SSL certificate used and also the encryption and decryption process.
However, the delay in loading website pages due to this process is not comparable to the performance improvements obtained in HTTP/2. You need to know that when using HTTP, you are still using the old HTTP/1.1 technology. Modern browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox only allow the use of HTTP/2 over HTTPS.
HTTPS uses HTTP/2 technology which is a major upgrade from HTTP/1.1. Better website performance can be obtained by using HTTPS instead of HTTP. Once again, the myth that HTTPS is slow is no longer valid. You can see the difference in web page load times between HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2 by visiting the site http2demo.io.